"Ow! Damn it!" Alice swore as her hand slipped and she scratched it along the tip. She quickly checked her thumb to see the tiniest drop of blood escape the corner of her nail.
"You alright?"
Alice jumped, spinning and hiding the object in her hands behind her back, out of sight. When she saw who it was, her body tensed for a whole new reason. But even though Alice tensed in fear over what could happen if they weren't careful, she also felt a small flutter of joy in her heart at seeing her father again. No matter what the reason, seeing her papa always brought both happiness and sorrow to the young girl, most of the times the emotions blending together so much that she wasn't quite sure which one was the greater of the two.
Today was no different. Alice struggled, giving a half smile while also resisting the urge to take a step back and hide behind the nearest tree – just in case. She wanted to be with him, but she also wanted to put space between them. There was next to no chance of anything happening but Alice still worried that they somehow might do something to accidentally activate the curse on his heart.
"You alright?" Killian repeated, smiling sadly at her and taking the smallest of steps forward before stopping, leaving a good few feet of space still between them.
"Fine." Alice lied, half shrugging.
"I heard you cry out..." Killian frowned slightly. "What are you hiding?"
"Oh. Uh. It's nothing. Just... Just a present for Robin." Alice said, blushing slightly as she brought the gift back out from behind her and showed it to him.
Killian paused then grinned. "Ah. Christmas."
Alice felt herself grin immediately, and barely thought about how she was taking another short step towards him. "Robin told me all about it. She and her mum celebrated it back in Storybrooke before they came here. It sounds amazing!"
"Yes." Killian chuckled. "Henry filled me in on the details as well. Actually that's why I'm here. I brought you this." He hesitated and shrugged his shoulders. "It's not much but..."
Killian slowly reaching into the bag at his side and pulling out a pair of firm brown leather gloves. He placed them carefully on the ground and stepped back, allowing Alice to retrieve them safely. She held them carefully in her hand and he watched her smile spread again, even bigger than before, a warm glow positively radiating off her expression as she looked up at him with wide childlike eyes.
"Thank you." She said, almost tearfully, but then paused and shook her head. "Papa. I'm sorry... I didn't... I should have-"
"Don't worry about it." Killian said quickly. "I don't need anything. Just seeing you... It's the most perfect present I could ask for." He paused and chuckled softly. "You do know that archers rarely keep the arrows they use? They get damaged and lost easily..."
"I know." Alice shrugged, tucking the new gloves into her pocket and turning the home made arrow in between her fingers. "I just figured this one could be... Like... Her lucky arrow or something." She blushed hard.
"You made it for her. I'm sure it's lucky." Killian smiled softly.
"Yeah but... I didn't realise how tricky making an arrow was. I can't keep the head piece in place." Alice admitted.
"Well here, why don't you let me give it a go?" Killian said, taking a step forward before hesitating and holding his hand out awkwardly with a large gap still between them.
"You sure?" Alice blinked.
"Yeah. Of course. It'll still be lucky even if you get a little help from your old man." Killian said, waving his open hand slightly.
Alice was careful to place the arrow into her fathers palm without either of them touching before she took several steps away. Then she watched as he continued from where she had left off to attach the sharp head. She'd been able to do the feathers at the end well enough, though she wasn't sure if the alignment was right since she knew very little about arrow design, but she did know that Robin was skilled enough to fire a broken arrow and still hit her target so even if it was a bit off, it wouldn't really matter. No doubt she could work with whatever flawed creation Alice gave her. But she still wanted to try her best. This was the first present she had ever given her and she wanted it to be as perfect as possible.
Killian seemed to have better luck than Alice, and attached the head relatively quickly considering Alice had been at it for hours before he showed up. While he worked, she watched him in silence, enjoying the sight. They didn't often get any quiet times like this where they could just act like an ordinary father and daughter, helping each other out. Alice breathed for a moment and allowed herself to imagine that there was no curse, no evil witch keeping them apart, and they were just your average father and daughter, working together to create something. It was a nice little daydream. Sadly it didn't last. When Killian was finished and turned to hand out the arrow back to her, Alice once again had to be careful when taking it back, keeping their fingers far apart the whole time.
"It's perfect! Thank you!" Alice beamed up at him. Then felt another pang of guilt that she hadn't gotten him anything. If she was being honest, she didn't think she'd see him before the Christmas Holiday was over, but even then she simply hadn't thought about it. She'd been so caught up with making something for Robin that she forgot about everyone else, even her own father. What kind of daughter was she?
Alice hated how easy it was for her to forget him nowadays.
"Why don't you engrave something on it?" Killian suggested.
"What?" Alice blinked, lost in her thoughts.
"Write something along the side." Killian shrugged.
"You mean like 'Happy Christmas'?" Alice asked.
"Hmm, maybe something a little more personal." Killian said. "To make it even more special."
Alice looked down at the arrows long wooden neck and nodded slowly with a smile. "I think I know." She looked back up at him. "Thank you, papa."
Killian and her smiled at one another for a moment. Then they awkwardly looked away, hesitating and unsure what to say next. They wanted to do more, to say more, but they both knew they couldn't. Even just being around each other at a distance was depressing, knowing there was so much they couldn't do for fear of putting Killian in immediate danger.
"I suppose I should go..." Killian said finally.
"Okay..." Alice mumbled, then looked up. "Thank you. Again."
"No problem." Killian paused before turning away. "I love you."
"I love you too, papa." Alice practically whispered, knowing her words would carry, tears filling her eyes now.
She watched him go and waited until he had disappeared completely into the distant trees before turning to sit down. She pulled out a small switch blade knife and was careful not to break the bark of the arrow as she softly carved her the words along the side. In the end the arrow was finished. The feathers at the end probably weren't perfectly aligned, and even with Killian's help, the tip wasn't quite right – though he had clearly done the best that he could, given when he had to work with. The sharp tip wasn't as sharp as most arrows so it probably wouldn't be very good for a real fight, but despite it's flaws Alice was pretty happy with how it turned out.
Staring down at the finished arrow, she once again wished she had thought to make something for her father. She had only recently heard about Christmas, but that wasn't an excuse. Not really. And it wasn't too late. She still had some time before Christmas day. But... She couldn't think what to do for him. Maybe she could go to the market and buy something but what...
Alice heard the footsteps this time and quickly managed to tuck the arrow behind her back out of sight before Robin appeared in front of her. The young woman was as beautiful as ever and Alice instinctively stepped forward to embrace her, remembering the arrow in her hands at the last minute and stopping herself short, settling with a stupidly happy smile. Unfortunately that action immediately caught Robin's attention.
"What are you hiding?" Robin asked teasingly, walking towards her.
"A present." Alice said, turning to keep the arrow hidden even as Robin tried to sneak a peek around her.
"Is it for me?" Robin asked excitedly.
"Maybe." Alice smirked.
Robin's smile spread and she stepped closer to her. "Well. Will you give me mine if I give you yours?"
"It's not Christmas yet." Alice noted.
"Who cares. We'll have our own Christmas." Robin shrugged. "A special one. Just you and me. No one in the world will have this day but us."
Alice smiled softly. "I'd like that."
Robin reached into her pocket and pulled out a small handkerchief tied with a thin piece of string. She held it out and Alice took it with one hand, keeping the arrow hidden with the other.
"I didn't wrap yours." Alice admitted, wincing. She was messing up so badly. First forgetting her fathers present completely, and now not realising she needed to wrap the gift she had actually managed to make. Christmas was turning out to be a lot more complicated than Alice had originally thought.
"That's okay." Robin grinned. "Now am I going to get my gift or are you going to keep it hidden from me?"
Laughing, albeit nervously, Alice brought the arrow round and held it out to her. Robin's eyes widened and she slowly reached down, taking the arrow between her fingers carefully like it might break. Alice bit the corner of her lip, watching her closely. Her expression was shocked but otherwise Alice had no idea if it was in a good way or a bad. Robin slowly reached up and ran a finger over the engraving along the side, mouthing the words in careful silence. Her lips forming the words 'My Love', the nickname Alice had taken to calling her during their more romantic moments. Alice hadn't realised she was holding her breath until Robin looked up at her and she sucked the air in sharply enough to nearly choke on it.
"Oh, Alice. I love it. It's beautiful. Thank you!" She threw her arms around her, being careful not to damage the arrow between them. "I'll cherish it forever."
"You really like it?" Alice asked nervously.
"I don't like it. I love it!" Robin said, kissing her hard. "It's the most wonderful gift anyone has ever given me."
Alice smiled and kissed her again. For a second they paused, holding each other close and kissing deeply. When they finally pulled away, Alice rest her forehead against Robin's and shut her eyes. Just enjoying the moment.
"Now your turn." Robin insisted, forcing her to pull back. "Open your present."
Alice was careful when untying the string and let the handkerchief fall open in her palm before she finally saw her own Christmas present. Inside the handkerchief, was a thumb ring. It was a silver ring that seemed plain at first before Alice noticed a pair of swirling patterns that traced along it, side by side in a complete circle. It looked brand new and incredibly expensive.
"Oh... Wow... Robin..." Alice whispered, feeling both ecstatic and guilty. It seemed like Robin had gone out of her way to buy something so precious while all Alice had done was tie together a bit of wood and feathers.
"The markings are meant to stand for us. We may only be going around in circles, but we're going around in circles constantly by each others side. Never to be parted for long." She paused when Alice didn't speak. "Do you like it?" Robin asked, suddenly looking just as nervous as Alice had felt.
"Yes but... Oh you really shouldn't have, this is too much." Alice breathed.
"Don't be silly." Robin took the ring and grabbed her hand, sliding it onto her thumb for her. "It's not like I'm proposing or anything." She held Alice's hand for a moment longer, stroking the ring gently. "There. A perfect fit."
Alice swallowed, shaking her head. "My gift looks like rubbish next to yours."
"No it isn't." Robin said quickly, grabbing both her hands and holding them to her chest. "I love my arrow. It's perfect. I can't imagine how much work you must have put into it. I don't think I'll ever be able to use it outside practice in case I lose it." She shrugged. "I just brought something but you made me something. If anything, my gift looks like rubbish now because you're is truly one of a kind. I love it. I love you."
Alice looked up at her, feeling her like her heart could burst at that moment. It wasn't the first I Love You they had shared, but it still felt fresh enough that Alice could barely believe it was real. She leaned forward, kissing Robin and clinging to her hands, pulling away only long enough to gasp; "I love you." Before she leaned back in to kiss her again.
After they had parter, the two girls found a soft spot to sit down and talk, their arms around each other and warm smiles on their faces that didn't match the in the cool evening around them. As usual they found themselves sharing almost every detail of their days to one another and eventually talk turned to Killian's presents for her and Alice's lack of a present in return.
"I just wish I could put something together for him." Alice mumbled, tucking her head on Robin's shoulder.
Robin stroked her leg comfortingly for a moment then suddenly sat up, nearly leaving Alice's head to knock against the tree behind them. "I have an idea. It's really quick, it's really easy, but it means a lot to people, especially parents. Everyone I know has given it to their mum or dad at least once."
"What's that?" Alice blinked.
Robin jumped to her feet, reaching down to pull Alice up after her. "Come with me. We'll find the perfect log and I'll explain on the way!"
O*U*A*T
The next night, just a few short hours before Christmas Day, Killian stumbled into his room and found something sitting at the end of his bed. He frowned, lifting it up to find himself holding a block of something wrapped in an tattered old cloak. He didn't recognise the cloak so he was carefully as he unravelled it, laying it across his bed when it fell off. Soon after he felt himself smiling.
Turning around, he sat on the edge of the bed, carefully stroking the present. He knew who it was from, even if it didn't have a note. After a few minutes of admiring the thick block in utter silence, caught between laughing softly and crying hard, Killian turned and set the block on the counter beside his bed where he kept his hook most nights.
The block of wood, carved into the shape of a large heart, would be the first thing he saw in the morning, and the first thing he read would be the words carved into its centre, reading: World's Greatest Papa.